Imagination is the underbelly to the conscious rhythms we frolic through on a day to day basis. Without imagination, think about how bland and gray the world would be. People like Walt Disney wouldn’t have created Mickey Mouse. Brand names would disappear, entertainment would vanish, and everything as we know it would cease to exist. Imagination has the power to make anything fictitious seemingly real- even the War on Drugs.
Everybody and their mother knows that the War on Drugs is a silly joke that you kind of just scoff at. It’s essentially a concept created by Richard Nixon in 1971 that embodies everything America stands for- which is more or less not standing for something we disagree with. The United States is built off of that idea. If there is something we don’t like, or there is something that we desire, we use muscle and gunpowder to obtain such.
War is a very familiar custom, but when we’re up to battle with concepts instead of entities, how does a country prevail? The War on Terrorism and the War on Drugs are both egregious wars that money is shoveled into while thousands of people die. Sadly, it kind of makes you wonder if anybody is taking these wars seriously. Why in the world would you put somebody in charge of a war that has zero war experience? Why in the world would the Trump administration have Kellyanne Conway lead the troops against this opioid epidemic? Fiction or non-fiction, everything about this is stranger than.
1 Step Forward, 2 or 3 Back
Unfortunately, many were familiar with Kellyanne Conway and her methods way before Jeff Sessions snatched her up. This woman is infamous for her televised lies or “alternative facts”- if you will. Since the beginning of Trump’s dictatorial reign, Kellyanne has made the headlines quite a bit with her controversial statements. It’s no wonder that she and the 45th President get along so well. Both embody the idea that no press is bad press. Roy Cohn would be so proud of everyone.
It sure has been a large couple of years for this political consultant though. As if the spotlight couldn’t have shined any brighter, Sessions appointed Conway in charge of the opioid epidemic back in November. Okay great- congratulations. Now that the joke has been made- what’s really happening here? Everybody is scratching their head wondering why somebody so unqualified is now holding the reigns. How could a President whose publicly declared the nation in a “state of emergency” allow somebody to take charge that is totally and utterly unqualified? The Twilight Zone was once a work of fiction too- and my how real it’s becoming.
Incarcerated No Matter How You View It
A comedic actor named Jeff Daniels plays this character on a satirical political show called “The Newsroom”. In the pilot episode and opening scene of the show, there is this infamous debate(that many have seen whether they are fans of the show or not) in which his character goes on this political rant about America. In it, he lists some surprising facts about the United States’ rankings in the world, from literacy to infant mortality. He goes onto explain, “We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real and defense spending, where we spend more than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies.”
This rant generally resonates with a lot because none of it is a secret. This infamously great nation is notorious for the wrongful imprisonment of people dealing with the disease of alcoholism. There are too many non-violent, low-level offenses that are overcrowding the prisons across the country. Our focus has turned into punishment driven rather than preventive. It’s abundantly clear that too many are incarcerated for a disease that requires availability to treatment. Addiction isn’t going to disappear because somebody is rotting in a cell for half their lifetime. It is a mental disease thru and thru. The largest fear here is that Kellyanne Conway will mirror the same mentality that the man who put her in charge does. Jeff Sessions is probably responsible for a vast majority of those locked behind bars in this country and the state of Texas particularly.
A Cabinet Ajar
One of the largest visible issues at hand is the shift of blame always. Kellyanne Conway, Sessions, and the rest of the Trump administration are seemingly always guilty of pointing the finger at somebody. So far, Conway has consistently related any failed efforts of the Trump team to be of relevance to Obama’s lasting effects. It’s always somebody else’s fault. It has nothing to do with the fact that our current Republican agenda is Donald Trump and a bunch of his friends/acquaintances playing tag team. We are sorely lacking professionalism in the areas we need it most. Betsy Devos in charge of education? Conway as the new drug czar in charge of opioid affairs? Taylor Weyeneth, a 24 old kid still in school, put in charge of ONDCP? All the unqualified are sitting on their thrones- what is happening here?
Conway has made a few reassuring moves since November, but it still isn’t enough to instill confidence in a nation dealing with such an epidemic. At the very end of the day, the problem lies with the fact that there are not enough addiction treatment services in this country. The question is, does Kellyanne Conway and her cabinet knows that? Hopefully, we see a selected woman that will get the ball rolling instead of echoing the thoughts of our 84th Attorney General.
Don’t Wait for Kellyanne
Some of us have been battling this disease for far too long. It takes up every aspect of your life in the blink of an eye while leaving you penniless and broken. Don’t wait for Kellyanne Conway’s solutions when there are already promising ones out there. Recovery is that life reinforcement that shields you from the destruction of alcoholic thinking. If you or a loved one has been struggling with getting a firm grasp on sobriety and need detoxification, please call 1-800-481-8457. Our teams of specialists are waiting to help figure out what options are best for sending your life is a comfortable direction that you can proudly stand behind.
